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| Faculty Newsletter | October 2026 |
Dear colleagues,
It has already been a busy fall, and we are just getting started. While we are still facing challenges and working diligently to make improvements across areas of the University, there also are so many exciting developments afoot. Just last week, I was at the deeply moving and inspirational Northwestern Prison Education Program graduation ceremony celebrating the first cohort of incarcerated women to earn bachelor’s degrees through the program. Also last week, the Litowitz Center for Enlightened Disagreement hosted its AI & Enlightened Disagreement Summit, bringing researchers and industry leaders together to examine AI's impact on discourse and our ability to disagree constructively. Every day, I witness the wonderful things happening at Northwestern, and I am reminded of the visible impact we are collectively having on our world.
To continue that positive impact, nothing is more critical than selecting the right academic leadership for Northwestern's schools and units. As you know, the Office of the Provost recently announced searches for the next Dean of the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences and Charles Deering McCormick University Librarian. I am grateful to those who have agreed to serve on the committees of these important searches. Faculty input is critical to the success of our search committees as they seek to identify and recommend outstanding academic leaders. There are multiple ways for faculty to engage, and you can learn more about them below in this newsletter.
Continuous engagement from our faculty helps make Northwestern exceptional, and I encourage you to explore even more ways—some of which are also mentioned later in this newsletter, such as the newly announced Northwestern Nexus Lab Awards and a variety of programs for professional development—to leverage your talents and passions to make an impact on our community and society at large.
Sincerely,
Erik Luijten |
News and notes |
Engage in the search for Northwestern's new academic leaders There are multiple ways to voice your perspectives on both searches:
Fall 2026 Awards—call for applications and nominations The Office of the Provost offers a number of awards that recognize Northwestern faculty members for their exemplary work as educators, researchers and colleagues. We are now accepting applications and nominations for the following awards:
Call for high-impact interdisciplinary research proposals Northwestern is expanding support for discovery with four initiatives from the Office for Research that will strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration, community-engaged partnerships, scholarship in the arts and undergraduate research opportunities. Applications will open by Nov. 15 for one of these initiatives, the Northwestern Nexus Labs (NNL) Competition, which will identify and support high-impact interdisciplinary teams with the potential to become enduring research enterprises. Selected NNLs will receive up to $250,000 expendable within 12 to 18 months from award date. Letter of intent is due Nov. 30 (submit online). Full proposal is due Dec. 15. An informational webinar will take place at 1 p.m.on Nov. 2. Learn more on the NNL Competition website.
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